We all know that stress is negative on our bodies. Stress can come from good
things or bad things. Somehow we are supposed to manage stress. I'd love to
know how to manage it because somehow stress just seems to happen. I know
that I participate in a very stressful situation that occurs once a year, my
local county fair. I know what that does to me and I try to make sure I go
into it as healthy as I can be. The fair is a combination of good stresses
and bad stresses and so far the good I think outweighs the bad so I continue
to do it. I like doing it, and I think we all need things we like in our
lives. Okay so I whine and complain prior and after the fair because it is a
tough job both physically and mentally. But it is one thing I can still do
(with help) and I enjoy it. For one week I am something other than a wife,
mother, grandmother, chief cook and bottle washer, - for one week I'm a
person with a very important job. My area has been the showcase for our fair
and it is getting bigger every year! Okay, I can deal with that.

But what I can't deal with is all the other stuff that comes at me all the
time. Seems I might get a day or two off and then it all hits the fan again.
Sometimes it is not my problem yet it still effects me. Sometimes I just
wonder, "why me?"

Thursday a week ago I had been busy. I had been invited to join my husband
at a casual breakfast meeting at work the next day. (They have a breakfast
club every Friday and everyone knows that I prepare the food that he brings
when it is his turn.) Since it was not his turn to bring food I decided that
the polite thing would to bring something "fun" with me so I planned on
making a simple coffeecake. Thursday was just delightful, we all need those
days once in a while. I picked up an older friend who was my neighbor many
years ago and we went to my sister's house, grabbed her and went to Olive
Garden (an Italian Restaurant) and had a lovely meal. We sat and talked
forever. It was great. After I took my sister home, my friend and I did a
little shopping and then returned to my house. Since it was late we decided
to go eat dinner at a local restaurant. (Quite honestly my friend and I were
not hungry after eating a big lunch but I did have a hungry husband.) Then I
took my friend home and stared at the recipe for the coffeecake that I had
planned to make that evening. I decided I was too tired and went to bed. I
left a note for my husband to wake me up at 5 AM so I had time to make and
bake the cake. Thus was the end of my well planned agenda.

Six AM I wake up after a terrible night with hardly any sleep. (Why do I
have those nights when I must get up and pee every 15 minutes?) When I
realized the time I went into a panic. Husband said I really didn't need to
bring anything, chances are there would be plenty of food. True, but the
polite and considerate thing to do was bring more food. So I'm scurrying in
the kitchen to get this thing in the oven. Then run upstairs and take a
quick shower and get dressed while it was baking. I get out of the shower
and the phone is ringing. I figured it was my sister as I told her I'd come
back to see her and help her in the house after the meeting. (She's broken
her foot, it's in a cast, and her son was coming home for his birthday on
Sunday. She needed help.) But when I picked up the phone it was my youngest
daughter who lives here in town. Her new husband was having outpatient
surgery that day and she wanted to make sure I'd be able to pick up my GD
after school. HUH???? So nice of her to wait until the last minute to tell
me theses things. Yeah, sure I'd be back to do that.

Oh there was one other thing, would it be a problem if I was on standby just
in case the school called. Seems the child woke up looking as if she had
been punched in the face. (Remember I'm standing there naked, wrapped in a
towel, dripping on an old hardwood floor, watching a clock because I have a
coffeecake in the oven downstairs that needs to come out in a few minutes.)
The GD had a red/blue ring under the one eye and the eyeball was red with no
signs of swelling or pink-eye. The other cheek had a red swollen knot the
size of a USA quarter (UK friends think old UK haypenny) on the cheekbone
that apparently hurt. The schools around here go over the top when it comes
to anything that might be a sign of violence so she was sure there were
going to be questions and social services might be called. Ok, ok, ok I will
return if I must so I gave her my schedule and made sure she had her dad's
work phone number programmed into her cell phone. (Turns out later that she
had mosquito bites: one under the eye, one on the cheek, and two more
elsewhere on her body.)

Coffeecake in hand I get out the door and follow my husband to work during
the early morning commuter rush hour. This area makes the Washington, DC
commuter traffic look like a drive in the country. The breakfast meeting was
fun. I knew about half of the folks. There are quite a few people in this
group; some are from IT and some are from HR, some are the company's big
bosses, etc. so it is an odd mix of people but very enjoyable. They joked
about how they would have promoted him a long time ago if they had only
known how well I could cook. I came away feeling good as it was nice to be
openly appreciated. (And the food was delicious! Okay it was a heart attack
waiting to happen: bacon, eggs, hash browns, biscuits with homemade sausage
gravy, fresh fruit, yogurt, 3 types of juices, plenty of coffee  and of
course my coffeecake to go with some other store-bought breakfast rolls
covered in icing.)

My sister lives only a few minutes from where my husband works so I arrived
at her house prepared to kick into gear and do whatever needed to be done.
Unfortunately she was not as ready. LOL  (We really are night people not
early morning people!) She insisted that I sit and have a cup of tea with
her before we got started. So I made tea and just as I sat down the phone
rang. It was my daughter and my heart sank.

No, the school had not called but her ex-husband did. Seems his father was
talking a bunch of nonsense. She told him to call an ambulance as he was
presenting signs of a stroke. Now, she was feeling very torn because she
wants to be with her husband not with her ex-husband but she sensed the
seriousness of the situation with her ex. I sucked down my tea and pushed my
sister into telling me what she wanted me to do because I just knew the day
was going to go downhill quickly. I didn't have to do any heavy cleaning
just a bunch of stuff needed to be picked up and put away, and she needed
the laundry done, clean sheets on the guest room bed, etc.

The phone rings again and it's my daughter. The rescue squad went out and
being her ex-FIL knew his name, the date, where he lived, phone number, etc.
and refused to be taken to the hospital there was nothing they could do but
leave him. So my daughter told her ex to get over there to him and take him
to the hospital. Since he couldn't just walk off his job he got his brother
to go.

I'm watching the clock. I've got more to do then is possible in a few hours.
Somehow my sister managed to hobble around and fix lunch for us. The phone
rings again. It's my daughter. Her husband is in surgery and her ex- FIL has
died. OMG! Seems the brother went over and his father seemed fine. He was
quite normal, no signs of anything wrong, no delusions, nothing. The brother
fixed a cup of coffee and took the morning's newspaper out to the porch.
About 15 minutes later he walked back into the house and his father was
dead.

Now both boys are really feeling guilty - maybe they should have forced
their father to go to the hospital even though he seemed fine. Yes, and they
might have done that and he still might have died. At least he went at home,
peacefully and quietly. He was a man who liked quiet. Not really anti-social
but someone who preferred to be alone, he liked the country and the peace
and
quiet it provided.

Now, I've got to get out of my sister's and meet my GD's bus. Then tell her
that her other grandfather has died. Also I have normal Friday errands to
run such as banking, food store, etc. Yes, I did it and managed to return to
my own house by 5:30, completely exhausted and wound up tighter than a
clock.

By Fri. night we knew there was going to be a memorial service but not when.
My daughter went out Sat and bought some new clothes for my GD so she could
wear them to the service. I had the same problem and had to go shopping,
too. Also on Sat. hubby and I went to Lowe's and bought attic stairs that
pull down
so that we could create an access I can use. That will give me storage in
this old house that I've not had. Sat evening I sat down with my husband to
watch TV - something I hardly ever do and the phone rang. It's my daughter.
Would I please hem the black pants she bought for her daughter for the
memorial service Sunday afternoon. Yes, bring the child and the pants. She
couldn't because the child was at some function and wouldn't be out until
after 10. Fine bring her then. So at 10:30 in the evening I'm marking pants
for hemming.

Grrrr! I did not want to hand hem and I had packed up the sewing machine
because of the attic access that was about to be made. So it was drag the
sewing machine back out. That darn thing is heavy!!!

The other thing on the agenda was my other daughter, who had moved back to
the area, finally got her own place and wanted us to come over and see it
that weekend. Originally we were supposed to go on Saturday to her house but
with the death and everything being up in the air we decided to wait until
we knew when the memorial service would be. Then my daughter thought we
should
visit on Sunday. And when my youngest daughter called about hemming the
pants she informed me that the memorial was to be held Sunday afternoon.

So now I have to get up Sunday morning and get the pants hemmed  and get
them back to my GD, get myself ready for the service and call the oldest
daughter and tell her that we will be there late because of the service.

Typical memorial but we did the right thing and went. (I hate the whole
death
"closure" crap - just is too hard on the family members.) Afterwards we were
invited back to an aunt's house but we declined as we were headed to our
oldest daughter's. Our youngest daughter went straight home afterwards but
left the GD with her dad. We offered to return the (g)daughter, if he wanted
to
bring her to the oldest daughter's house, when we left to go home. That gave
them plenty of time to spend with his family and saved him a 50 mile round
trip.

Was it over on Sunday night? No. Monday I had a fair meeting and it was my
turn to prepare the main course. Feed committee members and they will show
up for meetings. LOL Cleaned up and headed home before the drug store closed
because I had to pick up my Rx. Walked through their front door because they
had closed the drive-thru (grrrr!) and my foot caught on the front door mat
and I almost landed on my face. So now I had a twisted ankle on one side and
a wrenched knee on the other. Fortunately I did not hit the floor!

Was it over on Monday night? No. Tuesday I had to go to court over the drunk
driver that hit 4 cars on our street back in January. Then meet my GD after
school and baby-sit her until her step-dad came home from work.

Wednesday I promised my sister I'd be back to help her. Ok, I went back but
I did nothing at her house but rest! I needed it and she knew it. (Not only
does she have a broken foot but her husband of 40 years now has a girl
friend! She's climbing the walls!) At least there I was "away". Of course,
my youngest daughter called to see if my sister knew where I was because she
needed me to do something for her. LOL
Out of luck, I was there and not coming back. (That's what she gets for
waiting until the last minute!)

And today I have the GD again, and overnight.

Hmmm, and my best friend's kids are coming into town this weekend with their
children in their RV hoping we can all get together.

Do other people live like this? I want to scream "TIME OUT!" Oh, please just
cross your fingers for me that next week will be calm and peaceful. I just
want some time to myself. And if we are supposed to eliminate stress from
our life just what part of life was I supposed to have skipped? I'm just
thankful I've managed to get through it. So if no one hears from me for a
while I'm just going to hide from life for a few days.

Hey, but I look healthy! Yeah, I still have one spare spoon in my back
pocket.
Bev